"What is it?" she asked with alarm as Joan rushed into the chamber.
"Your spectacles have arrived!" The maid sounded as excited as if they were her own.
"Oh!" Clarissa whipped off her blankets with excitement. Joan, who had been rushing up to die bed, gasped. Clarissa heard a clack against the wall to her right, followed by a tinkling that made her freeze.
"What happened?" she asked with dread. A small moan sounded from her maid.
Joan hesitated, and when she spoke, her voice was choked. "Oh, my lady. You caught my hand with the edge of your blankets when you threw them aside, and you knocked the spectacles clean out of my hand."
Clarissa"s shoulders slumped. "They hit the wall, did they not?"
"I fear so." Joan moved around the bed.
Clarissa watched reluctantly as the maid moved to the wall and stooped to pick up her spectacles. When she picked up several somethings, and they clicked and c.h.i.n.ked in her hand as she worked, Clarissa lowered her head to her hands with dismay. Her spectacles were in pieces. And it was all her own fault.
"I am sorry, my lady," Joan murmured, and Clarissa glanced up to see the girl standing at the side of the bed, hands cupped before her, no doubt holding the shattered remains.
"It was not your fault, Joan."
"If I had been holding them tighter, or-"
Clarissa waved the words away and shook her head as she stood. "It was not your fault. Now, help me dress please. Lady Mowbray is taking me to the modiste today for the final fitting of my wedding dress."
"Yes, my lady. "Joan set the remains of the spectacles on the bedside table, and started to help her get ready to meet the day.
Clarissa was quiet as they worked, her mind on the spectacles she"d just destroyed, and her clumsiness that had caused it. The situation was enough to depress her. She tried not to let it. Spectacles were replaceable. She could get new ones made, perhaps quickly even-but wished she had them now. At least, part of her did. The other part wasn"t so eager. It might be silly, but Clarissa was worried about how Adrian would react once he saw her in them. Lydia had made such a big deal of her wearing the things, she found herself somewhat nervous at his reaction. Would he take one look at her in spectacles and head for the hills?
Clarissa didn"t really think he would, but really, there was nothing attractive about spectacles to her mind, and she wished she didn"t have to wear them. "There you are, my lady," Joan murmured. The maid had been subdued throughout her ablutions and dressing, and Clarissa knew she was blaming herself for the accident. Which was just silly. It hadn"t been anyone"s fault, really. It had been an accident, like the many other accidents that had plagued her since Lydia had taken her first pair of spectacles away. "Shall I walk you down now, my lady?" "Yes, please, Joan," Clarissa murmured, and stood to take the arm her maid held out.
The upper hall was empty. They didn"t run into anyone on the way down, no one until they reached the main floor. And it was just her luck that Lydia happened to be walking up the hall as they arrived in the foyer.
"There you are," her stepmother said, moving toward them. "Ffoulkes said your spectacles had arrived. Why are you not wearing them?"
Clarissa felt Joan"s arm tense, and she patted it rea.s.suringly even as she said, "I fear there was an accident and I broke them."
"What?" Lydia growled, and immediately turned on Joan. "How could you let this happen?"
"It is not Joan"s fault," Clarissa said firmly. "I knocked them out of her hands in my excitement at their arrival."
"I should have been holding them more tightly," Joan said with distress, and Clarissa could have smacked her for speaking up. She was sure Lydia would have left her alone otherwise, but the maid"s words brought Lydia"s wrath down on her.
"You stupid, stupid girl!" she snarled. "Pack your bags. I want you out of here at once."
"Yes, my lady." Joan started to pull her arm from Clarissa"s grasp, but Clarissa held her in place.
"Joan is my maid, Lydia. I was going to seek permission to bring her with me when I marry, but as you are firing her, I guess I need not ask." She turned to Joan and said gently, "You really should pack, Joan. If you wish to come with me, you will need to."
"She is not staying under this roof. She-"
"Lydia!" John Crambray appeared in the door of the breakfast room, his expression grim. Obviously he"d heard everything and wasn"t pleased.
Lydia turned slowly, reluctantly, toward him. Her voice was sullen as she asked, "Yes?"
"Enough," Clarissa"s father said firmly. "If Clary wishes to take Joan with her as lady"s maid, then she is welcome to do so. Joan will stay here until Clarissa leaves, then accompany my daughter to her new home at Mowbray. It will ensure that Clary does not feel alone there."
He turned his attention to the maid. "Do you wish to go with her?"
"Aye, my lord, I would be honored," Joan said quickly.
John Crambray nodded. "Then you would be best to start packing. The wedding is in only two days."
"Thank you, my lord." Joan hesitated, and turned to Clarissa. "Do you need me any more, my lady?"
"No. I shall be fine. I will just have some tea and toast while I wait for Lady Mowbray," Clarissa replied, patting her arm. "You go start seeing to whatever you need to do ere we leave."
"Yes, my lady. Thank you, my lady."
Clarissa watched the girl"s blurred figure hurry away; then she turned back to her father and Lydia. She hesitated uncertainly. Her stepmother stood still and silent, but Clarissa could feel the waves of anger rolling off her.
"Come, Clary," her father said quietly. "You shall need more than toast and tea if you have a day of fittings ahead."
Nodding, Clarissa moved to join him in the doorway, thinking the whole time about Lydia. She suspected the woman had tried to fire Joan only out of spite. She wished she knew how to repair the rift between them. Lydia had appeared to resent her from the beginning, and that resentment seemed only to have grown over the years. Clarissa had no idea what had caused the resentment, so had no idea how to make amends.
She consumed three sausages, two eggs, black pudding, toast, and three teas before Lady Mowbray arrived. Her father sat with her throughout the meal, chatting about the news, the weather, the coming wedding, and various and sundry other things to keep her company. When Lady Mowbray was announced, Clarissa stood and kissed her father good-bye, then hurried out to join Adrian"s mother in the foyer.
Presumably having been up in her room, Lydia was descending the stairs as Clarissa did so. Suspecting that her mood would not have improved any, Clarissa didn"t pause to wish her a good day, but rushed her soon-to-be mother-in-law out of the house.
"My," Lady Mowbray murmured as they settled in her carriage. "Lady Crambray had a face like thunder. Is she not a morning person?"
Clarissa sighed and briefly considered saying no, she wasn"t; then she decided the truth would serve better, and she regaled Lady Mowbray with the story of her own clumsiness in breaking her spectacles, and of Lydia"s blaming Joan.
Lady Mowbray made murmurs of consolation, but agreed it was no one"s fault. Accidents happened, after all. Then she said the oddest thing: "Adrian will be relieved."
Clarissa blinked at the strange comment, turning quickly to peer out the window to hide her concern. Did he dislike spectacles so much then? Was he abhorring her decision to wear them? She had hoped to ask Lady Mowbray if they might not stop to see if she could find a new pair in town, but now hesitated to suggest it. Frowning, she pondered the matter as they rode through the city streets.
She continued to consider as she stood patiently for the dressmaker to fuss, pluck, and tuck in the creation everyone had a.s.sured her was lovely. And once finished, and the dressmaker had helped her undress then turned her attention to Lady Mowbray"s gown for the wedding, Clarissa wandered to the front of the shop, her thoughts still distracted.
"Is there something I might get for you, my lady? A tea, perhaps, while you wait?"
Clarissa recognized the voice of the dressmaker"s a.s.sistant, and so she paused to ask, "Is there a shop near here where they make spectacles?"
"Oh, yes. Just two stores up from here," the girl said, happy to be of help.
"Thank you," Clarissa replied. Her gaze slid to the back room of the shop. The dressmaker would be dressing Lady Mowbray in there, fussing and plucking at her gown. So, when the a.s.sistant moved off, Clarissa hesitated only a moment, then slid out the door. There, she paused. The girl had said two shops up, but hadn"t said which way. Clarissa hesitated, then went left. She would try one way first, then the other if she did not succeed.
As it happened, Clarissa chose the right direction. She found out by stopping at each store and pressing her face to the gla.s.s to see what was displayed within. Two shops up, she found what she was looking for. Just entering the shop made her feel good. She was that much closer to being able to see again.
"Can I help you, my lady?"
Clarissa turned with a start and squinted at the man who moved so silently that she had neither heard nor seen him approach. Forcing herself to relax, she said, "I need spectacles."
"Well, then, you have come to the right place, my lady. I have a wide selection."
And it was as simple as that. Clarissa left the shop several moments later with a new pair of spectacles perched on her nose and a wide smile on her face. It was wonderful. It was bliss. She could see again!
Clarissa peered up and down the street, looking at pa.s.sing people, taking in the fine details of their clothes and the small lines on their faces, then turned her attention to the horses and carriages. Wonderful! A pleased little sigh slid from her. After a moment, she headed back toward the dressmaker"s shop at a quick clip, wanting to get back before Lady Mowbray noticed her missing. In fact, she didn"t think she would inform the lady of her little trip just yet. Not about her new spectacles. Clarissa wished to feel Adrian out on the issue first. If he truly had some disgust for spectacles, she would wait a bit before wearing them in front of him...just long enough for him to start to love her. Once he loved her, surely he would not mind so much that she needed them.
At least, that was what she hoped. Clarissa had no desire to go through life blind.
Pausing outside the dressmaker"s shop, Clarissa took one last clear look at the world around her, then removed the spectacles with a little sigh and slipped them into the small bag inside her skirts. They would be her little secret for now. She would enjoy them when she was alone, and keep them tucked away otherwise until she knew where Adrian stood on the issue.
Half-blind once again, Clarissa stepped into the dressmaker"s shop and had just moved toward a bit of cloth on a side table when Lady Mowbray came breezing out of the back.
"Are you ready to go, dear?" the woman asked. "I thought we might have tea at Adrian"s today. That way you can get to meet your staff."
Clarissa"s eyebrows rose. "Adrian has his own home in town?"
"Oh, aye. He bought it when he was young and wild and wanted a place of his own to misbehave." Lady Mowbray gave an amused shake of her head. "Now he keeps it just to annoy me, I think. And to avoid my nagging him to attend this party or that play."
Clarissa smiled faintly. "Tea with Adrian sounds lovely, my lady."
"Come along, then." Adrian"s mother took Clarissa"s hand to lead her from the shop, adding, "Clarissa, dear... I know you do not get along well with Lydia, and I want you to know that if ever there is something you need, anything at all, or if you simply need someone to talk to, I would like you to feel free to talk to me. I am very pleased to count you as my daughter, and would like to treat you as one."
Clarissa swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and nodded. "Thank you, my lady," was all she could say.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
"There you are." Adrian set the bag of coins on his desktop and setded back in his chair with a sigh. Martin Hadley scooped it up.
Adrian had used Hadley for the first time several years ago, when things had begun to go missing from his family estate. The man had been recommended to him by a neighbor, who had used Hadley on several occasions and found him quite competent at handling such matters. Hadley had taken a job at the Mowbray country estate as a footman-or at least had appeared to. In truth, his sole occupation had been finding out where the Mowbray silver and heirlooms were going. He had caught the maid responsible within a week of his arriving on the scene.
Adrian had been properly impressed. He"d used Hadley again on other occasions, and had had enough faith in him that he hadn"t hesitated to call when he"d found himself frustrated in his efforts to meet up with Clarissa. He"d hired Hadley to find out what functions she and her stepmother were attending in the hopes of finding a way to steal Clarissa away. Now, of course, that was no longer necessary, because of their engagement, and so Adrian had decided to settle his account, which was what he was doing today. But that wasn"t the only reason he"d wanted to see Hadley.
"Thank you, my lord. I appreciate your settling your debts quickly. Few enough do, and have to be chased down for payment." The bag of coins safely stored in his pocket, Hadley relaxed in his seat and raised an eyebrow. "You mentioned in your note that you might have another matter for me to consider?"
"Yes. It, too, is in regards to Clarissa." Adrian frowned, his gaze sliding to the window overlooking the gardens behind the house. "There is a possibility someone is out to harm her."
Hadley"s eyebrows rose. "My lord?"
Adrian glanced back. "I presume during your previous investigation you became aware of the exceptional number of accidents she has been suffering."
Hadley nodded slowly. "It would appear the lady normally wears spectacles, but her stepmother took them away. The girl is uncommonly accident-p.r.o.ne without them, and miserable on top of it."
Adrian felt himself relax a little, encouraged that the man had sorted out that bit. No one else but himself seemed to have. Hadley was a good man. He would figure out this new situation.
"Yes, most of those accidents were probably caused by her missing gla.s.ses, but there are one or two I wonder about."
Hadley pursed his lips, then said, "My guess would be that her fall into the street, where she was nearly hit by a carriage, is one of them."
Adrian nodded, unsurprised that the man had heard the tale. Hadley was known for his thoroughness.
"And the other?" the man asked.
"The night of our engagement, Lady Crambray held a ball. I made plans with my cousin Reginald Greville on how I might see Clarissa. He was to accompany a friend to the ball, find Clarissa, ask her to dance or otherwise take her aside, and tell her to meet me out by the fountain.
"With this plan in motion, I went to the ball a little earlier than he, in order to make my way to the fountain and be waiting there when she arrived. That being the case, imagine my surprise when I got to the fountain and found Clarissa floating in it."
Hadley"s eyebrows rose and he sat up straight. "What happened?"
"She said she got a message from me, rushed out to the fountain to see me, and-in her haste-ran into a branch."
Hadley frowned. "How did she end up in the fountain?"
"Clarissa says she recalls stumbling forward, and must have tumbled into it as she blacked out."
Hadley blew a silent whistle between his teeth and sat back, then shook his head. "Well, it is plausible enough, my lord. Why do you think it might not have been an accident?"
"Because I did not send her a message."
"Your cousin-"
"Was to speak to her personally, which he never managed to do, because she was already floating in the fountain when he arrived," Adrian said. "Clarissa received a written missive telling her to meet someone there. It was signed A.M.," but I did not send it!"
Hadley sat up again, a frown pulling at his face. "That is troublesome. But she recalls running into a branch?"
"She is blind without her spectacles. Clarissa would not know what she ran into," Adrian pointed out. He added, "If she ran into anything at all. As far as I could tell, there were no branches low enough to strike her. Even if one had, it is difficult to believe she could have stumbled so far."
"I should like to see this fountain and the area around it, I think," Hadley p.r.o.nounced, and Adrian nodded.
"I will arrange it," he said; then he glanced at his pocket watch and murmured, "Actually, my mother was taking Clarissa out for a fitting this morning, and mentioned something about having tea with her afterward. We could join them, and I could ask to see the fountain by daylight. You could accompany me."
"How would you explain my presence?" Hadley asked curiously.
Adrian shrugged. "As a friend, or my a.s.sistant."
"Your a.s.sistant is the better option," Hadley decided. "You can claim you want me to see the fountain because you are considering having one put in at your country estate and you want me to see what you"re looking for."
"That would work." Adrian nodded slowly and got to his feet. "Come; we can head over there now."
He led the way out of his study, but had barely stepped into the hall when Jessop appeared, moving toward him at an unhurried pace.
"Are you going out, my lord?" the man asked with an air of deference that was normally absent. Adrian knew it was present now only because Hadley was.